Department for Transport

Air Routes: Belfast

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the proposed acquisition of Aer Lingus by International Consolidated Airlines, whether they have made representations to safeguard the slots at Heathrow airport for flights by British Airways and Aer Lingus to Belfast City; and whether they have made representations to safeguard the slots at Gatwick airport for flights to Belfast City.

Baroness Kramer: The Government does not currently consider that there is a risk of air services between Belfast and London being lost. The routes remain commercially viable, with nearly two million passengers carried on almost 19,000 flights between the two Belfast airports and the five main London airports in 2013. EU Regulations govern the allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow, Gatwick and other slot co-ordinated airports in the UK. The purpose of the EU Slot Regulations is to support the operation of a single market for aviation by seeking to ensure airlines have fair and equal access to airports across the EU through the application of independent, non-discriminatory and transparent slot allocation procedures. The Regulations stipulate that the actual process of slot allocation is undertaken entirely independently of the Government, the UK Civil Aviation Authority or other parties. The Government has therefore made no representations to safeguard Heathrow or Gatwick slots for air services from Belfast. In circumstances where vital air connectivity would be lost, EU law does provide some limited scope to protect regional air services by allowing Member States to establish public service obligations (PSOs) to protect air services to airports serving a peripheral or development region, or on thin routes considered vital for a region’s economic and social development. Where a PSO has been approved, this would permit slots to be ring-fenced at a London airport. There is no other mechanism for the Government to intervene in the allocation of slots at London airports. As part of the 2013 Spending Round the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that £20million would be made available over the two years 2014-15 and 2015-16 through a Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain regional air access to London through the establishment of PSOs where there was the probability that an existing air service would be lost. The 2014 Budget announced a doubling of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain existing connectivity to London.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions in relation to the possible reinstatement of the railway line between Colne and Skipton they have (1) held in the past six months, and (2) arranged to hold in the next three months, with (a) Network Rail, (b) Northern Rail, (c) bidders for the Northern Rail franchise, (d) Lancashire County Council, (e) North Yorkshire County Council, (f) local authorities in West Yorkshire, (g) Pendle Borough Council, (h) Craven District council, (i) local campaign groups, and (j) any other relevant bodies.

Baroness Kramer: The Government has advised SELRAP, Network Rail, Local Enterprise Partners and the Local Authority on how to proceed with reopening the railway line between Colne and Skipton and they will need to fund the feasibility study. We will be meeting them soon to discuss the conditional outputs and the wider issues surrounding this scheme.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UK Membership of EU

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 February (HL4559), whether they consider it to be in the interests of the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union in its existing form of membership.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK’s membership of the European Union brings many benefits to the UK, including jobs and investment, free access to the largest common market in the world and a strong collective voice to negotiate free trade agreements. EU Membership also gives the UK greater international influence on global threats such as climate change and Ebola. The Government’s position remains clear: the EU must reform to become more competitive, democratically accountable and fair for those inside and outside the Eurozone. The need for reform is widely recognised among EU Member States and the Government has already shown that it is possible, through our success in cutting the EU budget, reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, reducing the burden of EU regulation on business and ending the UK’s bailout obligations.

War Memorials

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has assumed responsibility for the maintenance of the Royal Naval Division memorial from the original charity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In 2002, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as the current occupant of the Old Admiralty Building, agreed to assume the costs for general cleaning of the Royal Naval Division Memorial and the costs of the water supply to the memorial’s fountain. The costs of any maintenance, other than cleaning, remain the responsibility of the Committee for the Royal Naval Division Memorial. In November 2013, the Committee informed the FCO that it intended to commission a condition survey of the memorial and had raised funds for any repair work. The survey commenced on 17 February 2015.

Turkey

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Turkey about proposals to convert many secular schools into Imam Hatip schools and the forced enrolment of pupils into Imam Hatip schools in 2014.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Our Embassy in Ankara regularly discusses education policies with senior Turkish cabinet ministers and officials, and Turkish education unions. In January our Ambassador met with Mehmet Görmez, President of the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey), and discussed religious education and Imam Hatip schools with him. More widely, we regularly raise human rights issues with the Turkish government, including the importance of freedom of religion and safeguarding the rights of minority groups.

Burma

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Burma.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Burma remains a human rights Country of Concern for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and features in the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy report. A copy of the latest quarterly update to that report on Burma is attached, which highlights the humanitarian situation in Rakhine, continuing conflict and sexual violence in Kachin, political prisoners and restrictions on freedom of expression.



Burma - update on human rights situation
(Word Document, 22.64 KB)

Attorney General

Hunting: Prosecutions

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to investigate the basis on which the Crown Prosecution Service brought charges against Donald Summersgill and joint-masters Rupert Andrews and David Greenwood of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) properly applied the Code for Crown Prosecutors to the available evidence when making a decision to charge the three individuals with offences under the Hunting Act 2004. Having applied the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the decision was that at that time there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for the charges laid against all three men.Prosecutors must take account of any change in circumstances that occurs as a case develops, including what becomes known of the defence case. As a consequence of further information being made available it later became apparent that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. The case was duly stopped.There is no reason to believe that the CPS in reaching the decision to charge these three individuals did anything which requires an investigation into its conduct of the case.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Mass Media

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the justification for the Ministry of Justice’s refusal to permit visits to any prisons by a reporter from The Guardian.

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances and with what conditions access to any prison by a journalist would be permitted.

Lord Faulks: The External Communications team at the Ministry of Justice receives a significant number of requests by local and national media for access to prisons. For operational reasons and resource implications it is not possible to facilitate all requests. Each request is considered on its own merit, with careful thought over the subject area, resource and security implications, victim impact, and value to the taxpayer. In a similar way to the police or the NHS, there are operational considerations to be made when filming or reporting in prisons. When facilitating media access we must ensure that the needs of victims are met, which may involve concealing identities, carrying out relevant checks and liaising directly with victims about the access request. We must also ensure that media access does not breach any security restrictions, for example filming keys or locks. Consideration is also given to protecting the identities of prisoners and staff. We are committed to providing open and transparent access to prison and regularly provide access to journalists for news items, features and documentary programmes. We aim to provide a range of access to different journalists covering both print and broadcast media, local, national and online media. Since the beginning of January 2015 we have provided access to a range of media outlets, a few examples are listed below: The Guardian were given access to HMP New Hall - http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/30/new-hall-womens-prison-inmates-equalsBBC and the Sun were giving access to HMP ColdingleyRegional BBC were giving access to HMP Northumberland (Sodexo run prison)Telegraph and Heart Radio were giving access to HMP Drake HallEvening Standard and regional BBC were giving access to HMP Thameside (Serco run prison)BBC Radio 4 were giving access to HMP Prescoed/HMP CardiffSky Sports were giving access to HMP FelthamNational BBC, regional ITV and the Manchester Evening News were giving access to HMP StyalEvening Standard and London Live were giving access to HMP IsisEast Anglia Daily Times and regional BBC radio were giving access to HMP Hollesley BaySky News were given access to HMP RanbyITV were given access to HMP Norwich

Prisoners: Travellers

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recommendations made in the report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons of February 2014 reviewing the monitoring of Gypsy, Romany and Traveller prisoners.

Lord Faulks: I welcome the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, People in Prison: Gypsies, Romany and Travellers. Meeting the needs of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) prisoners has traditionally been challenging due to very low declaration rates. To address this, and to improve the support received by them, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has carried out work to increase the confidence of these prisoners to declare their ethnicity. In March 2014, NOMS implemented a new tool to monitor various outcomes for prisoners against a range of protected characteristics, including GRT prisoners. This has proved to be successful and declaration rates have increased. The tool allows NOMS to better understand where gaps in services for GRT prisoners are, and for services to be commissioned where appropriate. NOMS has worked closely with organisations such as the Friends Family and Travellers and the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain to provide information to staff and prisoners regarding best practice when working with GRT prisoners. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) commissioned and jointly published (with HMIP) the report: 'Children and Young People in Custody 2012-13: An Analysis of 12-18 year olds' perceptions of their experience in secure training centres'. This was the first published annual summary of children and young people's self-reported experiences and perceptions from surveys carried out with young people in each of the four Secure Training Centres (STCs). The YJB will continue to commission these reports and monitor the findings from this survey in future years to gain a better understanding of the representation GRT young people within STCs.

Prison Service

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether current staffing levels of HM Prison Service meet the standard complement.

Lord Faulks: Staffing levels have been reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmark staffing requirements for each establishment have been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing role. Benchmark staffing levels have been agreed in 85 public sector prisons. Amongst prison officers, the shortfall of staff in post against benchmarks for these establishments at 30 September 2014 was 4%. Staffing levels have improved, but there remains a geographical variation and detached duty has been used to manage temporary shortages in particular locations. Such measures are always needed in such a large, widely spread organisation. In addition HM Prison Service Reserve, consisting of former prison officers, has been established to support capacity changes and unplanned shortfalls in officer numbers. The Prison Service has been returning to large scale recruitment levels as the period of closures and benchmarking has been coming to an end. As well as prison officers, we are also recruiting Operational Support Grades (uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of security based work) and instructors (who manage prisoners in workshop activities and training).

Prisoners: Suicide

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 26 January (HL4088), whether every prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm is automatically under the care planning system of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork process.

Lord Faulks: All Prisons must have procedures in place to identify, manage and support prisoners who are at risk of suicide or self-harm harm and to reduce that risk. National policy requires that any prisoner identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm must be managed and supported using the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process. ACCT is a multi-disciplinary process, and each prisoner subject to it is managed by a team composed of a range of staff drawn from the prison and other organisations, such as healthcare and education providers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries: Navy

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 10 February (HL4601), whether the three offshore patrol vessels referred to as fulfilling the Royal Naval commitment to fishery protection included the Offshore Patrol Vessel presently deployed to the West Indies for five months.

Lord De Mauley: There is a formal agreement between the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Royal Navy that provides for the Royal Navy to supply surveillance and fisheries inspection services to the MMO. The agreement contains a commitment from the Royal Navy to provide 500 days of service annually to the MMO. It has three offshore patrol vessels based in UK waters: HMS Severn, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey. The MMO do not specify how many or which vessels will be used at any one time to fulfil this role.   HMS Severn was available to contribute to delivery of that commitment between 1 April and 19 November 2014 after which it was tasked with other high priority duties. On projected figures it is anticipated that the Royal Navy will meet its commitments to the MMO for the financial year through the combined use of HMS Tyne, HMS Severn and HMS Mersey.

Home Office

A55

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many driving offences broken down by nationality and vehicle type were committed on the A55 during (1) 2007, (2) 2011, and (3) 2014.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not hold data centrally on driving offences on specific roads by the nationality and vehicle type of the driver. Data are available on dangerous driving offences only, split by police force area and community safety partnership.

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider to be the difference between tax avoidance and aggressive tax avoidance.

Lord Deighton: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) distinguish between tax avoidance and tax planning. Tax avoidance is bending the rules of the tax system to gain a tax advantage that Parliament never intended. It often involves contrived, artificial transactions that serve little or no purpose other than to produce a tax advantage. It involves operating within the letter – but not the spirit – of the law. Tax avoidance is not the same as tax planning. Tax planning involves using tax reliefs for the purpose for which they were intended. For example, claiming tax relief on capital investment, saving in a tax-exempt ISA or saving for retirement by making contributions to a pension scheme are all legitimate forms of tax planning. While such actions may reduce the total amount of tax paid, they are not tax avoidance, because they involve using tax reliefs in the way that Parliament intended when it passed the relevant legislation.

Customs: EU Law

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact assessments have been carried out regarding the implementation of the Union Customs Code and its impact on micro and small businesses' access to simplified procedures, the requirement to provide a six-digit Harmonised Tariff Code and changes to existing transit procedures.

Lord Deighton: HM Revenue and Customs has been formally consulting with UK trade bodies and businesses about the impact of the European Commission’s draft proposals for regulations to enable implementation of the Union Customs Code. Discussions have considered the impact of requirements to provide a six-digit commodity code that is needed for enhanced safety and security purposes and changes to existing transit arrangements which have enabled us to preserve a valuable simplification for movement of goods albeit in a different form. Trade views have been invaluable in informing the UK position, helping us to influence negotiations with the Commission and Member States and in securing agreement to necessary changes where possible. The UCC represents a package of measures to modernise and simplify customs procedures and requirements while also addressing the need to tighten safety and security and fight against fraud measures and its impact is being assessed in this overall context.

Small Businesses: Bank Services

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ease of opening bank accounts for small businesses.

Lord Deighton: The Government has not made a formal assessment of the ease of opening bank accounts for small businesses. However, more information than ever is available for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The British Bankers' Association has a 'Business Account Finder' that provides information on a range of financial services available to businesses, including current accounts. This presents a list of the most competitive current accounts available with separate sections for sole traders, limited companies, charities and other types of business. In addition, the Business Banking Insight survey (BBI) provides detailed information on what UK SMEs think about every aspect of their bank and includes a ranking of banks against key indicators. It is a powerful tool for SMEs, helping them understand their options, making decisions about who to bank with and planning how they will grow.

Cabinet Office

Ministers

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is routine policy for the Cabinet Office to contact HM Revenue and Customs to consult it prior to the appointment of a non-elected Minister.

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what due diligence is carried out and by whom before ministerial appointments are made.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: As was the case under previous administrations, ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister, in line with the Ministerial Code. For those individuals upon whom the Prime Minister wishes to confer a life peerage, the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission vets nominations. For those individuals upon whom the Prime Minister wishes to confer a peerage in order that they might sit in the House of Lords to take up a ministerial role, the Commission consults the main regulatory authorities, including HMRC, before giving advice.

Department of Health

Cancer

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve cancer care across the National Health Service and to ensure that National Health Service staff are trained to meet the future needs of cancer patients.

Earl Howe: On Sunday 11 January NHS England announced a new independent cancer taskforce to develop a five-year action plan for cancer services that will improve survival rates and save thousands of lives. It will produce a new cross-system national cancer strategy to 2020, building on NHS England’s vision for improving cancer outcomes as set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View.   The taskforce will work in partnership with the cancer community and other health system leaders, and will be chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK. It will include cancer specialist doctors and clinicians, patients groups and charity leaders, Public Health England, local council representatives and professional bodies.   The strategy will set a clear direction covering the whole cancer pathway, from prevention to living with and beyond cancer and end-of-life care, issues such as data, workforce, research and reducing inequalities. It will also consider how services need to develop and innovate in the future. The taskforce will produce a statement of intent by March 2015, with the new strategy to be published in the summer.   It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and content for education and training and ensure newly qualified doctors, nurses, and other professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high-quality patient care. The General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council set standards for the education of doctors and nurses respectively. The royal colleges have responsibility for developing curricula for doctors and nurses.   The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service in England. HEE works across disciplines to train staff to deal with patients with all conditions, including cancer.

Tobacco

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 10 February (HL4473) concerning meetings with Action on Smoking and Health, whether they have had meetings with the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco; and whether they continue to uphold an embargo on closed meetings with the tobacco industry.

Earl Howe: Ministers and officials meet a range of organisations on a regular basis to discuss tobacco control. Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Gov.UK website:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings  No meetings were held by the Department over the period 1 January 2012 and 27 January 2015 with the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco.  The Department does not have an embargo on meeting any business or organisation.

Smoking

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they take into account the volume of smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco products when calculating the percentage of the United Kingdom's population who smoke.

Earl Howe: The Government’s national ambition to reduce smoking prevalence among adults in England is measured using data from the Office for National Statistics “Integrated Household Survey”.   This survey asks the following two questions relating to smoking: “Have you ever smoked a cigarette, a cigar, or a pipe?” and “Do you smoke cigarettes at all nowadays?”   Background, methodology and other information relevant to this survey is available online at:   http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/social-and-welfare-methodology/integrated-household-survey/index.html

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, if the draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 are passed, any person created by the procedures provided for by that legislation will be followed-up in the way recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Expert Panel on page 5 of their report, Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception: update, 2013.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 will not come into force until 29 October 2015. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will consider how best to apply a monitoring framework to clinics awarded a licence to carry out mitochondrial donation treatment, against which it would inspect.   The HFEA will announce its proposals for the regulation and monitoring of mitochondrial donation treatment cycles following the approval of regulations by Parliament.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to introduce a Strategic Clinical Network for musculoskeletal disorders, as recommended by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

Earl Howe: NHS England’s National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, Peter Kay, is currently working in partnership with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), to develop new MSK clinical networks across England.   The work ARMA has done to date has been very successful in capturing examples of best practice in MSK care across England, bringing together health professionals and commissioners and building a strong consensus on the way forward for models of care for MSK patients across the entire MSK community. Work is ongoing in this area and NHS England and ARMA are in dialogue about the nature of such support.   NHS England is undertaking a review of the role, purpose and function of the sub-regional infrastructure that it funds, which is focussed on supporting commissioners and providers to improve the quality of services including Strategic Clinical Networks (SCN), Clinical Senates and Academic Health Science Networks. The purpose of the review is to understand how the best value can be secured from the investment in these functions, in support of commissioners and providers in improving quality. This review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of March.   Regarding plans to introduce MSK networks as part of the SCN programme, NHS England has made clear that as priorities change, or should the work of one of the initial SCNS conclude, it will identify new conditions or patient groups that would benefit from an SCN approach.   The provision of fracture liaison services (FLS) and falls services is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England advises that it is aware that provision of good FLS is not uniform across the country and it continues to work with CCGs to support them to develop appropriate local FLS services. It also advises that the FLS model recommended by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Osteoporosis society is recognised as best practice and is being promoted.   In addition to this, the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people sets out best practice for clinicians on the management of patients aged 65 and over who are susceptible to falls.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to undertake a comprehensive, cross-government strategy and programme for health and work, as recommended by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

Earl Howe: The Government currently does not have plans to undertake a comprehensive cross-Government strategy and programme for health and work, as recommended by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.

Fractures

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps will be taken by NHS England and other national health bodies to encourage the local commissioning of fracture liaison services, in the light of the advice issued by NHS England that the Fracture Liaison Services model represents best practice.

Earl Howe: NHS England’s National Clinical Director for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, Peter Kay, is currently working in partnership with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), to develop new MSK clinical networks across England.   The work ARMA has done to date has been very successful in capturing examples of best practice in MSK care across England, bringing together health professionals and commissioners and building a strong consensus on the way forward for models of care for MSK patients across the entire MSK community. Work is ongoing in this area and NHS England and ARMA are in dialogue about the nature of such support.   NHS England is undertaking a review of the role, purpose and function of the sub-regional infrastructure that it funds, which is focussed on supporting commissioners and providers to improve the quality of services including Strategic Clinical Networks (SCN), Clinical Senates and Academic Health Science Networks. The purpose of the review is to understand how the best value can be secured from the investment in these functions, in support of commissioners and providers in improving quality. This review is ongoing and is expected to reach its conclusions by the end of March.   Regarding plans to introduce MSK networks as part of the SCN programme, NHS England has made clear that as priorities change, or should the work of one of the initial SCNS conclude, it will identify new conditions or patient groups that would benefit from an SCN approach.   The provision of fracture liaison services (FLS) and falls services is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England advises that it is aware that provision of good FLS is not uniform across the country and it continues to work with CCGs to support them to develop appropriate local FLS services. It also advises that the FLS model recommended by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Osteoporosis society is recognised as best practice and is being promoted.   In addition to this, the guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Falls: assessment and prevention of falls in older people sets out best practice for clinicians on the management of patients aged 65 and over who are susceptible to falls.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 11 September 2014 (HC Deb, cols 664–5W), what is the minimum number of fresh eggs required for the nuclear DNA to be extracted and moved elsewhere in order to generate each reconstructed embryo by pronuclear transfer; what consideration the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has given to the appeal for additional egg donors publicised via chroniclelive.co.uk on 3 February; whether the HFEA holds records for any licensed centres in which the incidence of hospitalisation due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is equal to or greater than that described in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183–7); and what changes the HFEA has introduced since the publication of the McCracken Report to mitigate the risks of OHSS in accordance with recommendations 10 and 11 and in the light of paragraphs 4.40 and 4.44 therein.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it is not in a position to know the minimum number of fresh eggs required for mitochondrial donation. Subject to the approval process agreed by the HFEA, this will be a matter for clinical teams involved.   The HFEA will be developing its expectations as regards donation for treatment or clinical use, taking into account information for patients and donors and consent requirements.   The HFEA has also advised that it does not hold information on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) that would allow it to undertake an analysis of the incidence of hospitalisation due to OHSS.   The McCracken report was considered by the HFEA at its meeting in September 2013. As regards recommendation 10, about the HFEA’s regulatory focus, it was agreed by the Authority that this would form the basis of the HFEA’s development of its strategy for 2014-17. The HFEA strategy was agreed by the Authority in July 2014 following extensive consultation with stakeholders. The strategy does not expressly set out the actions it proposes to take as regards OHSS. The HFEA advised that it continues to discuss with key stakeholders, including professional groups, what actions, if any, can be taken jointly by those stakeholders.   In relation to recommendation 11, the HFEA advises that an information sharing agreement with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is working well in practice and that any concerns identified by the HFEA are discussed and necessary action is taken by the respective body.

Diabetes

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of funding into the artificial pancreas; and why there has not been a call for artificial pancreas research by the National Institute for Health Research.

Earl Howe: Research infrastructure funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) contributes to international artificial pancreas research. This infrastructure includes the NIHR biomedical research centres at Cambridge and Imperial College London, the NIHR/Wellcome Trust Imperial Clinical Research Facility, and the NIHR Clinical Research Network. Spend on artificial pancreas research cannot be disaggregated from total expenditure through this infrastructure.   There has been no specific call for artificial pancreas research by the NIHR. However, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including artificial pancreas systems. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

HIV Infection

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new diagnoses of HIV were made in 2014 among (1) heterosexual men and women, and (2) homosexual men and women; and whether they will categorise the figures by age group.

Earl Howe: Data for 2014 is not available until October 2015.   New HIV diagnoses in the United Kingdom in 2013, by probable exposure category and sex: Probable exposure categorySexNew HIV diagnosesHeterosexual contactMale968Female1,167Total2,135Homosexual contactMale2,947Female0Total2,947   New HIV diagnoses in the United Kingdom in 2013 among those infected through heterosexual contact, by sex and age group: SexAge groupNew HIV diagnosesMale<15015-244724-3420335-4947050+248Total968Female<15015-2410524-3439035-4948150+191Total1,167   New HIV diagnoses in the United Kingdom in 2013 among those infected through homosexual contact, by sex and age group: SexAge groupNew HIV diagnosesMale<15015-2446224-341,13135-491,04650+308Total2,947FemaleTotal0 Further data tables for 2013 are available from the Public Health England webpages:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hiv-surveillance-data-and-management   Notes: 1. New HIV diagnoses data includes individuals who have an existing infection as well as those who have a newly acquired infection and therefore the data do not present incidence of infection.   2. Data will include some records of the same individuals which are unmatchable because of differences in the data supplied.   3. Numbers will rise as further reports are received.   4. Per question, ‘homosexual men’ are men who report having had sex with men and ‘homosexual women’ are women who report having had sex with women.

Prisoners: HIV Infection

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new HIV diagnoses were made among prisoners in 2014 in England and Wales.

Earl Howe: Data for 2014 is not available until October 2015.   Latest data from the national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) surveillance system shows that in 2013, of 5,594 adults (aged 15 years old or above) newly diagnosed with HIV in England and Wales, nine were newly diagnosed with HIV at a prison service. An additional 210 patients living with a diagnosed HIV infection (diagnosed before 2013) were resident in prison.   Notes: The numbers are likely to be under-reported because prison status is not routinely collected. Prisoners were identified if the residential information provided related to a prison setting. Therefore the completeness and accuracy of the numbers depends on the clinicians’ reports. Furthermore, most prisoners have short custodial sentences and consequently may not be included in the national HIV surveillance system which collects information relating to a patients’ most recent attendance at an HIV service.

HIV Infection

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was spent on HIV-related information campaign advertising in 2014.

Earl Howe: The Department holds a contract with the Terrence Higgins Trust to deliver targeted HIV prevention programmes for those groups most at risk of HIV which in the United Kingdom is men who have sex with men (MSM) and black African communities. The current contract delivers the HIV Prevention England programme. In 2014-15 the value of this contract was £2.450 million and of this £550,000 was spent on social marketing activity including advertising.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European Union legislation they have considered in framing the proposed draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015; what view they have taken on the applicability of the European Union legislation; and what is the basis for their view.

Earl Howe: As I said in the debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 on 24 February 2015 (columns 1570 and 1617-8) the Government is satisfied that the Regulations do not contravene any aspect of European Union law. It has carefully considered recent arguments relating to the Clinical Trials Directive (Directive 2001/20/EC) but is satisfied that the Directive is not relevant in this context as it relates to clinical trials of medicines.

Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the principles and prohibitions regarding eugenic practices in the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine form part of the constitutional traditions common to member states of the European Union.

Earl Howe: The United Kingdom has not signed or ratified the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

Nutrition: Research

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new nutritional research has been commissioned by the Department of Health since the machinery of government changes in July 2010.

Earl Howe: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has commissioned a range of research since 2010 relating to nutrition through its programmes and research infrastructure. For example, the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, established in 2012, combines key research in understanding nutritional impacts on health with active national and international roles in improving health through policy. It also develops new approaches, and help build clinical skills and standards.   The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including nutrition. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Further information on the NIHR is available on the website at:   http://www.nihr.ac.uk/   The Department’s Policy Research Programme (PRP) commissions high quality, research-based evidence relevant to the full policy remit of the Department. Since 2010 a number of projects related to nutrition have also been commissioned through this programme. This includes a study of the inter-relationship between vitamin D requirements for the United Kingdom population and calcium intake. Details of PRP commissioned projects are available on the website of the PRP Central Commissioning Facility at:   http://www.prp-ccf.org.uk/

Social Services: Finance

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Local Government Association’s assessment of the impact of spending reductions on the long-term financial sustainability of adult social care services.

Earl Howe: Adult social care expenditure and the future demand for services will be reviewed as part of the Spending Review before decisions on future funding are made. The Department is aware of the work undertaken by the Local Government Association and will involve both them and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in this process.